Category: Travel

I just had the best month of my life (so far, as my Work Crew bosses continuously reminded us…God has even bigger things planned) on Work Crew at YoungLife’s camp in New York’s Adirondacks; Saranac Village. I spent a month of my summer, June 23rd through July 21st to be exact, cleaning bathrooms, worshipping, and living alongside forty-ish strangers that were all about my age, and as weird as that statement might sound, it was the best of times. I’ve been trying to get this post together since I got back and I’ve found that there’s truly no way to recap or write a travel diary that would come close to encompassing my time on Work Crew at Saranac Village. That being said, today I’m just sharing a few thoughts, memories, and lessons from this insanely memorable month as well as a ton of photos and a video I made. Enjoy!

As strong as I felt my faith had grown to be over the course of my high school years, I never truly found my strength in God or talked to Him as frequently as I did on Work Crew. Yes, Work Crew was a ton of fun, but there comes a point when you’re picking the hair off of what feels like your trillionth shower wall and you just can’t find the will to keep going within yourself, that’s when it comes from Jesus. Suddenly the reminder strikes you. The reminder that everything, every single meticulous and disgusting thing you’re doing is for the purpose of showing high school kids like you the unconditional love of God. Then cleaning toilets become less about how disgusting the bottom of the seat is and more about how you can pray for the open heart of every camper that sits on it. While from the outside looking in Work Crew seems to be a voluntary service to show campers the best week of their lives at YoungLife camp, being on Work Crew does just as much for the individual volunteering as it does for the campers on the receiving end. Being on Work Crew gave me a front row seat to some big miracles. Being on Work Crew gave me a community like no other, one that prayed over people whenever anything went wrong and encouraged people no matter what they were doing. Being on Work Crew taught me how to be patient with people that I don’t see eye to eye with and how to love people the way God does. Being on Work Crew gave me new outlook and mission for my community at home. Being on Work Crew enabled me to grow my faith in ways I didn’t even know where possible. I can confidently say that I will never be the same.

I only briefly mentioned that sweet community, but I could talk about each person on Work Crew for days on end. My love for these people is endless, and I’d do anything to hear Kayla’s loud laugh or see Derren dance in person right now. I don’t know what I did to deserve such an amazing group of people, but I know God planned for each and every one of us to be on Work Crew at Saranac for session two from the beginning of time. There’s no other explanation for how every person on Work Crew clicked so well, like puzzle pieces. God is too good to us and showed up in everyone on Work Crew in the coolest ways this month. From our cabin huddling on the guide house dock in silence to watch the sunrise at 5:00 a.m. to the housekeeping crew’s late big cookie on Sunday nights, His presence was so clear in every moment.

I honestly don’t even know what else to say about this month, other than that I’m ecstatic to reunite with everyone on Work Crew in Heaven. I made the video below to a remix of one of the songs they played on repeat in the dining hall while bussing tables (I loved the song before Work Crew too but that sentimental connection is an added bonus) and I’d be lying if I said the quick flashing of happy faces around the two minute and thirty second mark didn’t bring tears to my eyes every time. You probably won’t cry nearly as easily as I do since you don’t actually know these people, so I recommend you watch the video in HD by clicking the HD button in the bottom right corner of the video.

Below are twenty-four photos from Work Crew. Yes, I know that’s probably an excessive amount but I was there for a month and the property was stunning and I couldn’t leave any of these memories out. Sorry!

This might seem strange but I’d really like to close this post in a prayer if that’s alright with y’all.

Hey God, thank you for my month at Saranac Village. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to meet and serve alongside some of the best friends I’ll ever have. Thank you for showing me what it means to be a servant, what it means to be a disciple, and what it means to be a friend. Thank you for the peak of our Sabbath days and the dirtiest camper bathroom and every moment in between. Amen.

I had the privilege and pleasure of accompanying my area’s WyldLife group to Southwind (a YoungLife camp in Ocklawaha, Florida) June 7-11 and boy, was that long weekend a blessing! This is going to sound crazy (especially if you’ve ever been to weeklong YoungLife summer camp), but I think I might have actually enjoyed leading a bunch of middle schoolers at Southwind for WyldLife summer camp more than I enjoyed the “best week of my life” as a camper at Frontier Ranch for YoungLife camp last summer. Don’t get me wrong, I had a great time at Frontier Ranch (watch my video and read my travel diary from the week here), but getting to be behind the scenes in all the fun and hear about why we do each activity that just seems like fun for the camper was so neat. I also loved playing a part in the growth of those sweet eighth grade girls’ relationships with Jesus. I’m so excited to be sharing this special time at camp with you today! Enjoy!

Much like my Frontier Ranch travel diary last summer, I’m not going to go into a ton of detail on the itinerary of each day at Southwind because that could potentially ruin surprises for any readers that are also going to Southwind this summer, and if you’ve ever been to a YoungLife camp you know that the time is jam-packed with surprises and that the surprises are half the fun! All that you really need to know about my time at Southwind is that it was truly the sweetest. The cabin of eighth grade girls I’ve been seeing at WyldLife club all year and led at Carolina Point back in February began to see me less as a chaperone or counselor and more as a leader and friend. Suddenly I was included in the inside jokes, invited to tag along to the snack bar, asked to make matching friendship bracelets, and became a shoulder to cry on. When I got on the bus at 5:30 a.m. on Thursday I was hoping and praying that I’d impact these girls in my time doing life with them at Southwind, but they impacted me more than they’ll ever understand. Their sweet smiles during worship songs (“Rescue” now holds a special place in my heart) and genuinely thoughtful responses in cabin time reminded me what God’s love really looks like. A relationship with God looks like a tight hug. It looks like the jumping and screaming of a united cabin after winning a game of octaball. It looks like deep conversations while learning to weave an anklet. It looks like the words “I’m so glad you came to camp with me.”

As per usual at YoungLife camps, the food was impeccable (especially big cookie). The club speaker, Hancock, was absolutely amazing and used so many neat and unique illustrations of our relationship with God that we hadn’t seen before. All of the program activities were so fun, even the ones I was a little scared to participate in at first. As usual, club was definitely my favorite part of camp. Screaming the words to our favorite songs, watching the program team make fools out of themselves, and hearing the Gospel in a new light never gets old. See some of my favorite photos from our time at Southwind below!

Since I’m not describing each day of camp (and also just because making videos is so fun), I’ve included a video below! I recommend you watch the video in HD by clicking the HD button in the bottom right corner of the video.

I don’t want to end this post without mentioning my YoungLife leader, Townsend, who moved to my area at the start of my sophomore year. Getting to know Townsend has been such an adventure and such a blessing. Getting to be her “YoungLife kid,” leader trainee turned co-WyldLife leader, Work Crew trainee, and friend has been a definite highlight of my time in high school. The energy and love she pours into me has changed my life. Townsend gave me the opportunity to lead at Carolina Point back in February, then gave me the amazing privilege of coming to Southwind as the only high school age leader from our area this year. Her faith in me and constant support is the only reason I’m anything close to a good leader to these girls. The way she’s loved me throughout my high school career is such a model for me in how I love others and how I love my WyldLife girls. Townsend was in our cabin, Tarpon Point, with me at Southwind and getting to lead the eighth grade girls alongside her was such a joy. I don’t know if she’ll ever read this, but thank you Townsend for shaping me these past two years. I wouldn’t be where I am today without you.

Thanks for reading, and more importantly, thank you to the girls of Tarpon Point for the best possible time. I’m so blessed to be a part of your lives.

P.S. – All of my pictures posted during/of my travels on my Instagram are under my hashtag, #farawaywithfaith, so be sure to check that out (or even follow it!) throughout the summer to keep track of my adventures!

I spent Tuesday through Friday of last week staying in an adorable little house at Wild Dunes in Isle of Palms, South Carolina with my family for spring break. We had an awesome time and today I’m so excited to share the details of our trip with y’all! I’m sharing a ton of pictures as well as a video, which I recommend you watch in HD by clicking the HD button in the bottom right corner of the video. I also linked most of the locations, restaurants, and shops mentioned so you can check them out for yourself if you’re planning trip to Isle of Palms. Enjoy!

Tuesday

We left for Isle of Palms after lunch around 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday. We spent our three and a half hour car ride watching movies, eating goldfish, and doing those fun spring break homework assignments (well actually that was just me and that “fun” comment was definitely sarcastic) before arriving at our house in Isle of Palms’ Wild Dunes resort area around 3:30 p.m. When we got to the house we spent half an hour or so picking rooms and settling in then my father, sister, brother, and I went on a short walk to the beach! It was so nice to have a house within walking distance from the beach and after this initial walk my sister and I felt comfortable enough to walk to the beach on our own. When we got back to the house around 5:00 p.m. and my stepmom made pasta for dinner, which we ate around 6:00 p.m. After dinner my sister and I went on another walk to the beach. We took a few photos, shared many laughs, and watched the sunset before coming back to the house, showering, and going to bed.

Wednesday

My sister and I woke up around 8:30 a.m. and had crescent rolls with Nutella for breakfast before heading to the beach at 10:00 a.m. While it was sunny, the weather was not in our favor as winds and cooler temperatures pushed us away from the water. We walked back to our house around noon, where we had turkey and cheese sandwiches for lunch. My brother, sister, and father have been watching The Flash on Netflix together, so while they binge watched for a few hours I worked on my AP U.S. History homework and my stepmother read her books. Around 4:30 p.m. we began getting ready for dinner out. We went to The Refuge around 6:00 p.m. and it was amazing! I ordered the Amelia sandwich, which was turkey, tomato (which I asked to have taken off), avocado, bacon, mozzarella, and pesto (which I also asked to have excluded) on sourdough bread. For dessert my sister and I split a peanut butter and chocolate pie. After dinner we returned to the house and got ready for bed.

Thursday

Thursday morning I slept in until around 10:00 a.m. while my family went on a walk. After waking up as they were leaving, I ate a couple cinnamon rolls for breakfast and read the Bible on the deck. When my family returned from their walk around 11:00 a.m., we drove to Acme Low Country Kitchen for brunch. I had the island toast and it was so good. After brunch we came back to the house for a couple hours before heading to Wild Dunes’ pool area overlooking the beach. While at the pool, I tanned and worked on more AP U.S. History homework before playing lacrosse with my little brother. My sister and I also spent a little time on the beach. We returned to the house around 3:00 p.m., then my sister and I went on a walk to a gift shop on the resort property to buy tee shirts. After our little trip to the gift shop, we got ready for dinner. We ate at the Morgan Creek Grill on the marina, where I had fish and chips then a chocolate cake for dessert. We returned to the house after dinner, began packing, and went to bed.

Friday

I woke up around 9:00 a.m., and after having a couple crescent rolls for breakfast I finished packing. We did one final sweep of the house and loaded the car to begin the journey home around 11:00 a.m.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed hearing about our trip! Be sure to follow me on Instagram @apocketfuloffaith and follow my travel hashtag #farawaywithfaith so you don’t miss any of my upcoming travels. If you’re interested in reading any of my other travel diaries, you can check them out here!

The weekend of February 23rd through 25th I had the privilege of traveling to YoungLife’s Brevard, NC camp, Carolina Point, with my area’s WyldLife group as a leader. This was my first time going to camp as a leader and it was so neat to see the other side of things! I loved getting to know all the sweet girls in my cabin better and watching them grow in their relationships with God as the weekend progressed. Today I’m sharing the weekend’s happenings as well as a video in a travel diary! I recommend you watch the video in HD by clicking the HD button in the bottom right corner of the video. Enjoy!

Friday

Friday night we arrived around 9:45 p.m. and shortly after dropping my bags in one of the eighth girls’ cabins I ran with my area’s leaders to the leader lounge for a meeting. In this meeting we were introduced to all of the weekend’s authoritative roles, including the speaker, camp director, program staff (aka the hilarious people who put on skits and organize the games for club), property staff, and more. In this meeting we also discussed the schedule for the night and Saturday morning. After a series of introductions and prayers for the exciting weekend ahead, we were dismissed and joined our middle school friends in front of the club room to anticipate club’s start. About fifteen minutes later, music began to play and the club doors open. During club we screamed and danced to a few songs, played games, and heard the talk. The opening club’s talk focused on the things we pursue instead of focusing on God and the idea that maybe we were meant to pursue the one who created these things. Following club was the opening cabin time, which was honestly a bit awkward for my cabin (as the first night’s cabin time often is). Cabin time ended around midnight, so we prepared for bed pretty quickly and went to sleep soon after.

Saturday

I woke up around 7:30 a.m. and quietly got ready for the day (my cabin was still sleeping!) before heading to my leader meeting at 8:00 a.m. In this meeting we picked kids for the games that would take place in club and discussed the planned happenings for the day up to dinner. When the meeting ended, we went to the dining hall to claim our area’s tables at our first meal at camp. I have to admit, standing on chairs and dancing to get kids to my table at each meal was one of my favorite parts of the weekend. If you’ve ever been to YoungLife camp you know that as soon as the dining hall doors open every camper sprints to their leader’s table as though the table was going to stand up and run away. It was so fun to see that excitement from a different perspective! We ate some delicious pancakes and the best sausage (anyone else not like sausage unless it’s at YoungLife camp?) while watching the hilarious skit. After breakfast it was time for the cabin challenge! Our cabin did an array of activities, including leapfrogging around the pool, push-ups, dancing to YMCA on the dock, and trust falls from the stage to compete for the coveted cabin challenge winning title.

When the challenge ended, we went to the club room to wait for the morning club. I distinctly remember the song selection Saturday morning being so good, including mashups of cartoon theme songs (the Phineas and Ferb theme is such a jam, don’t lie) and the “Banana Song.” This club talk was one that’s always hardest to hear, the reminder that we are sinners and that there is nothing we can do to redeem ourselves. In my now five trips to YoungLife camp, I’ve seen kids of all ages struggle with accepting this fact that without Christ’s crucifixion (which isn’t discussed until the Saturday night club at weekend camp) we are helpless. That being said, the cabin time following this club proved frustrating for some of our girls (expected), but also brought up a lot about where they see Sin in their own lives. At the conclusion of cabin time, we had about half an hour of free time before lunch. Lunch was super good as usual (although I forgot what we ate, oops) and the skit led into field games! Field games included a few fun games I don’t know how to name, a huge tug of war, and flour bombs (which I luckily dodged thanks to having my camera in hand).

The end of field games marked the beginning of free time, so I quickly rushed to the cabin with a few of my eighth grade girls to grab our wallets before heading to the camp store. Somehow I managed to buy just one tee shirt and a sticker this trip (that’s a huge accomplishment for a tee shirt lover like me!), but the line was super long so the camp store easily ate up an hour of our free time. After taking our purchases back to the cabin, we went on the hike with a couple of our area’s head leaders. The hike was a lot of work but the view was so worth it. Atop the mountain, we took a few minutes in silence to just talk to God and marvel in the fact that despite His creation of the gorgeous peaks in front of us, He still sees us as His most beautiful creation. We took a few photos before heading back down the mountain.

When we got back to camp, I took a quick shower then hung out with a few girls for half an hour or so before dinner. We had the best lasagna, green beans, and bread for dinner while watching the climax of the skit. For dessert we had big cookie, but this weekend they prepared a “s’mores big cookie!” The famously sweet dish included graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate syrup in addition to the traditional giant, gooey cookie. After dinner I returned to the leader lounge for another meeting in which we discussed the plans for the night and worshipped as a large group. When the meeting concluded, I reunited with my area’s girls in front of the club room. Club was again filled with a ton of fun games, funny skits, and a great talk about the crucifixion of Jesus. At the end of the club talk, the campers were given an opportunity to silently find a seat around camp and write a letter to God for fifteen minutes. If you’ve ever been to YoungLife camp, we do something similar (fifteen minutes of silence to talk to God with all of camp’s lights out), but having never gone to camp as a Wyldlife kid it was really neat for me to experience this different take on the fifteen minutes. When the fifteen minutes ended, the bell rang and we went to cabin time. My head leader asked me to lead this cabin time, and this particular cabin time after the crucifixion talk and fifteen minutes is always my favorite as a camper so I was so nervous to lead it. We spent cabin time asking and answering questions about beginning a relationship with Jesus based on the club talk and discussing what the campers though and wrote about during their fifteen minutes. The five-minutes-to-club bell signaled the end of cabin time and I ran down to the club room with my eighth grade girls. This particular club included a few “minute to win it” games, the conclusion of the skit series, and a super fun dance party filled with glow sticks and lots of whipping and jujuing. When the dance party was over I headed over to the Mason Jar (snack bar) with my best friend and co-leader Cammie to purchase some Cheerwine slushies and ice cream. After we finished our snacks we returned to our cabins and went to bed.

Sunday

Sunday morning my head leader, Townsend, woke me around 8:00 a.m. up with a stack of area tee shirts for my cabin. I passed out the tee shirts as the girls slowly got up in preparation for 9:00 a.m. breakfast (on the last day of YoungLife camp everyone wears their area shirts!). Breakfast consisted of lots of cereal, biscuits, and good conversations. After breakfast we returned to the cabin for cabin cleanup, in which we finished packing, took out the trash, folded all the blankets, and swept. As soon as we finished cleaning we went outside to take lots of pictures before our area meeting! I have to say, we got quite a few adorable shots, I wish I was that cute in middle school! Our photoshoots ended when it was time for lunch, a delicious platter of chicken sandwiches and French fries. We watched the meal skit’s conclusion as we finished dinner then packed the bus and headed home.

I’m so grateful I had this amazing opportunity to lead some of the sweetest middle schoolers around! If you have the chance to attend or lead at a YoungLife camp, trust me, you should go! You can read about a few of my other YoungLife camp experiences here, here, and here. Thanks for reading!

I spent January 20th and 21st in Charleston, South Carolina with a couple of my best friends, Evan and Cammie, and Cammie’s mother to celebrate Cammie’s birthday a few weeks ago and today I’m so excited to finally be sharing a travel diary with y’all! I was hoping to have this post up a couple weeks ago but the start of lacrosse season and extensive homework assignments have limited my time to focus on the blog recently. Better late than never, right? We had the best weekend in Charleston and today I’m sharing everything we did, as well as a short video, with y’all! I recommend you watch the video in HD by clicking the HD button in the bottom right corner of the video. I also linked most of the locations, restaurants, and shops mentioned so you can check them out for yourself if you’re planning trip to Charleston. I particularly loved the outfits I wore this trip, so I linked each of my looks under the pictures I wear each outfit in! Enjoy!

Saturday

Saturday morning Cammie and her mother picked me up around 8:00 a.m., and from there we drove to Evan’s house to pick her up as well. The drive to Charleston was filled with funny stories, gummy bears, and stops for Chick-fil-A and Starbucks. When we arrived close to noon, we immediately parked and began shopping on Charleston’s famous King Street. We shopped at Madewell, J.Crew, and a few boutiques before stopping for lunch at Monza around 2:00 p.m. for some delicious pasta and pizza. After finishing up at lunch, we walked to the DryBar for our blowout appointments. This was such a treat for all of us, Evan had a blowout once or twice but this was Cammie and I’s first time! The three of us have watched Danielle Carolan rave about DryBar in her vlogs for the past two years and we were so excited to finally have the chance to go ourselves. Cammie and I both got the Cosmo and Evan got the Mai Tai. With our new blowout styles, we walked to Urban Outfitters, H&M, Sephora, The Skinny Dip (we took way too many photos in front of their flower wall and on their patio, see them below!), and Francesca’s to complete our day of shopping. Around 5:00 p.m. we went to our hotel, the Charleston Marriott, to settle into our room and get ready for dinner. We celebrated Cammie’s birthday eating dinner at one of Cammie’s favorite seafood restaurants on the water in Mount Pleasant around 7:00 p.m., R.B.’s. There, Evan and I shared a fried shrimp platter and shared sides of fries and macaroni and cheese. The three of us shared an amazing slice of chocolate cake for dessert then took photos on the restaurant’s dock before heading back to the hotel. Upon returning to the hotel room, Evan and I took showers then the three of us headed downstairs with some snacks for some girl talk in the lobby’s lounge area until around midnight. When we came back to the hotel room we found HGTV on the television and quickly fell asleep to the home improvement shows (anyone else always do this in hotels? I don’t know why but I always find myself falling asleep to HGTV in hotel rooms).

Sunday

Cammie woke Evan and I up after she finished showering around 9:00 a.m. We all got ready by 10:00 a.m. then went downstairs to the hotel’s dining area for breakfast where we had the most delicious waffles! After breakfast we packed the car and went to a nearby dock to take a few photos in front of the water. The pictures turned out adorable and the water was gorgeous. Next, we returned to King Street for another round of shopping in which we hit Forever 21, LOFT, Gap, and Banana Republic before returning to the car around 2:00 p.m. and beginning the drive home. A little while into the drive, around 3:00 p.m., we stopped at Smashburger for a late lunch. Cammie and I recognized the sign from the road and immediately knew we wanted to eat there because we tried Smashburger after landing in Denver on the way to Frontier Ranch (read my blog post about Frontier Ranch here) and remembered them having the best customizable burgers and absolutely delicious shakes! After lunch we got back in the car and finished the drive home.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed hearing about our trip! Be sure to follow me on Instagram @apocketfuloffaith and follow my travel hashtag #farawaywithfaith to see all my future travels in real time. If you’re interested in reading any of my other travel diaries (Atlantis Bahamas, Universal Studios Orlando, and a couple weeks in Texas to name a few!), check them out here!

A few weeks ago my family took a weekend trip to the small, picturesque town of Montreat in North Carolina. We had an amazing time (find my “Montreat, NC Travel Diary” post here) and I spent Friday in this cute little ensemble that just screams “fall in the mountains” to me. Today I’m sharing that look and I hope you love it as much as I do! Enjoy!

Montreat and its close neighbor, Black Mountain (which we also spent a good portion of our days/meals in), are cuddled up in the middle of North Carolina’s gorgeous Appalachian Mountains. Just like those stereotypical “mountain people” you might have in mind, practically everyone we saw there was wearing a flannel in one way or another, so I decided I’d try my hand at styling my flannel too. My navy and white flannel is from J.Crew, and I began the day layering it over a comfy maroon peplum top, but as the temperature rose it ended up tied around my waist (which I have to admit I liked a lot more than I thought I would!). I recently picked up these fun ripped olive green jeans at Old Navy and I’m obsessed with them (so much so that I actually wore them both days on the trip oops). I’ve never really had ripped jeans before and I’d been longing for a pair of olive green pants so this pair was the perfect way solution to both desires. As for shoes, I opted for my Birkenstock sandals because they fit the weather pretty well and were comfortable for a day filled with walking. I kept my jewelry pretty simple to match the relaxed look of the outfit, but I’m obsessed with this simple gold disc choker I’m wearing from KyzBeadz on Etsy. It’s so simple and versatile and I know I’ll be getting a ton of use out of it, it’s just so easy to clasp on and dress up an outfit!

The choker from KyzBeadz as well as the beaded bracelets from Sashka Co. featured in this post were sent to me in exchange for a feature in my blog. However, all opinions are honest and my own. I don’t feature products I don’t truly love!